Cassandra Cain Costume History 2
Cassandra Cain Costume History Batgirl Suit (Batgirl/Joker DC 1st) A highly stylized drawing style by Bill Sienkiewicz, Terry Moore and Jimmy Palmiotti saw Cass being depicted virtually as a humanized shadow with only the yellows of the emblem and belt, white slits for eyes and greys to give depth. It should be noted that the rendition of the Barbara Gordon Batgirl is done in a completely different, more cartoonish, style than Cass is to signify the different times. It perhaps should also be noted that this would be the first time that the “mouth-piece” of the cowl is ripped away during the story. Batgirl Suit (Detective Comics #790) A nice tale introducing Cassandra to Jason Todd with some introversion on Batman’s stance on Stephanie Brown, Cassandra’s suit seems more cat-like than bat-like in this depiction by Pete Woods. Her eye-pieces seem to bubble outwards like Selina’s; an interesting design but again it’s so close to Selina’s head piece that it looks more like a “Catgirl” costume. Apart from that, though, this is one of my top five renditions of Cass just for how he nailed her facial design in some panels, and one of my top ten Cass books for the story. Should also probably note the extended collar, looks like there’s some reinforcement or armour there. Batgirl Suit (Batman: Shadow of Sin Tzu) Batgirl Suit (Batgirl #39) The start of Adrian Sibar’s run on the Batgirl comic series saw an introduction to an angular, impressionistic style that has a certain charm to it I suppose. Heavy on the inking and bold outlines, Sibar’s rendition borrows cues from the humanized shadow renditions and Damion Scott’s design. This artist is possibly most famous in the Cass fandom for bringing us Cassandra in a bikini. It should also be mentioned that for some reason Sibar’s run in the series was not made into a graphic novel collection. Vigilante Costume (Batgirl #40) Caught in a hostage situation while onboard a Florida cruise ship, Cassandra creates a makeshift mask by ripping off and tying the bottom half of her dinner dress around her head. Her identity concealed, Cassandra then proceeded to engage the hostage takers in combat. Drawn by Adrian Sibar, Cassandra’s silhouette and poses are similar to 's in look and feel. Batgirl Suit (City of Light) Designed and drawn by the Pander Brothers, this iteration of Cassandra for the Batman: City of Light mini-series is perhaps the first miss-portrayal of the character created. While many of her character traits are present in the portrayal, most notably the haunting influence her past as over her, many would say that she was portrayed as a stereotypical, cookie-cutter version of herself; being overly chatty in comparison to her usual portrayals where she tends to remain silent. Also of note is how she is depicted as talking during her childhood, which is actually cannonically incorrect. Aside from that, though, a nice clear design. Batgirl Suit (Dark Tomorrow) This rendition was featured in the Batman video game, Dark Tomorrow. Like most of the character designs in this game, the character looked more like a walking rag doll than a trained vigilante. This could have been solved with the alteration of the character’s posture, putting some actual personality into it rather than the simple walk cycle and movement animations that was presented. A prime example between a “Just doing a job” attitude and a “Work of love” attitude from the design department. Batgirl Suit (Batgirl #45) With Rick Leonardi as the new penciller for the Batgirl series, issue #45 celebrated Cassandra winning the Best Heroine in the Wizard Fan Awards for the third time in a row by having her don the Barbara Gordon Batgirl suit for an issue. This rendition saw the enlargement of her boots and gauntlets. Batgirl Suit (Batgirl #48) Yet another change of artists saw Jean-Jacques Dzialowski take up the mantle of Cass’ penciller. It’s hard to describe this rendition; it emphasises the suit’s creepy feel while the way the suit is “worn” makes it look like cloth. Also, the shoulder horns are gone. Kasumi Suit (Justice League ELITE #1) Working undercover in an undercover organization, Cassandra dons the persona of Kasumi; a reformed master assassin whose weapon-of-choice is bladed swords and daggers. Drawn by Doug Manke, “Kasumi’s” suit is very “Cyborg Ninja” esque; concealing all of her skin much like her Batgirl suit does. Batgirl Suit (Batgirl #58) Ale Garza’s rendition saw the return of Cass’ enlarge gauntlets and boots, her shoulder horns also returned. Her eye pieces became more narrow; able to express emotion, in addition to her mask now concealing the shape of even her nose; forming a flat plane over her jaw. The rendition seems to be centred on intimidation, with random insertions of “Mousy Bat” poses that made it so charming. This, coupled with the excellent drawing of her out-of-costume, has put Garza’s work in the top three of Cassandra’s renditions. Training Suit (Batgirl #62) During Al Garza’s run on the Batgirl series, Cassandra was shown training in what looks like a version of the body suit of her Batgirl uniform (minus boots, gloves, belt and bat symbol) with slippers and a ninja-esque mask. Very ninja-like, it offered a link between her past as an assassin and her present as a Bat Family member. Batgirl Suit (Solo #10) An alternate, non-canon, future where Timothy Drake has become Batman and Cassandra has continued wearing the mantle of Batgirl well into her adulthood, this uniform is very similar to Barbara Gordon's Black and Yellow Batgirl outfit, with the addition of yellow around the eyes. A notable trait is that Cassandra has dyed her hair red, although it is still cut short. The design was made by Damion Scott. Dress (Robin #150) The appearance and rendition infamously hated in the Cassandra Cain fandom; the “Evil Cass”, the “Dragon Lady”, the “False Cass”, or the “Abomination”. Drawn by Freddie E. Williams II this was Cassandra’s first high profile appearance since the cancellation of her series in April 2006; however her character had changed so drastically without explanation that the fan base took to it with ill will. Having said that, the actual visual design is stylish, possibly taking cues from renditions of Lady Shiva. An all-black body suit with a red vest, with toggles, Cassandra’s hair has been grown out to medium length and straightened; as opposed to her usual shortened cut that is usually tussled or tied back. Her skin is also notably pale; the first time this attribute has been featured. Dress (Supergirl #14) The “Evil Cass” renditions continue in the Supergirl series. This one drawn by Jan Churchill, Cass wears a full-body suit again but this one seems more armoured than the previous. The suit is strapped together with various buckles and weaponry (such as katana swords, shuriken and a sai). She also has a mobile phone and ear-set attached; but perhaps the most notable or quirky attribute are the Batman Begins earrings. Page 1,2,3,4 Category:Essays